The Wheel at ICON Park Orlando is one of the biggest attractions in Central Florida. When boarding the 400 ft tall giant Ferris Wheel, visitors can take in views of Orlando like never before.
Unfortunately, for those riding the Orlando Eye this past weekend were in for an eventful night after the Ferris Wheel lost power.
Ferris Wheel at Orlando’s ICON Park Evacuated
On Saturday night, New Year’s Eve, 62 Florida visitors were trapped for hours, hundreds of feet in the air after Orlando’s ICON Park lost power.
Orange County Fire and Rescue dispatched over 80 firefighters after they received a call about a power failure at the Ferris Wheel attraction. The call came in just before 6:30 p.m.
Ashley Gipson, Orange County Fire Rescue Public Information Officer, confirmed the news to Fox, adding that in order to rescue the trapped riders, the firefighters had to manually turn the wheel to reach each ride vehicle and get the visitors to the ground safely.
At approximately 10:43 p.m., Orange County Fire and Rescue confirmed that all pods were officially clear, and all 62 riders were safe. There were no injuries reported.
Visitors Take To Social Media
FOX 35 Orlando’s Stephanie Buffamonte was on scene and shared a video of the incident in real time. “The Wheel at ICON Park lost power tonight,” she Tweeted, “I can see the wheel is moving now but the lights are still off. Orange County Fire is evacuating guests.”
The Wheel at ICON Park lost power tonight. I can see the wheel is moving now but the lights are still off. Orange County Fire is evacuating guests. @fox35orlando pic.twitter.com/ymNEj9mAIi
— Stephanie Buffamonte (@StephBuffamonte) January 1, 2023
Theme Park reporter ThrillGeek also shared the news, writing, “Multiple people allegedly trapped on The Wheel at ICON Park due to a complete loss of power.”
Multiple people allegedly trapped on The Wheel at ICON Park due to a complete loss of power. pic.twitter.com/V42NTBKMAe
— ThrillGeek (@thrillgeek) January 1, 2023
Film director Billy Corben Tweeted the news along with a video that shows the moment sparks flew from the wheel a visitors were on board.
“#BREAKING: People trapped on 400-foot ferris wheel at Icon Park in Orlando after it lost power tonight,” he wrote. “This is the same theme park where 14-year-old Tyre Sampson fell to his death from the FreeFall Drop Tower Ride last March.”
#BREAKING: People trapped on 400-foot ferris wheel at Icon Park in Orlando after it lost power tonight. This is the same theme park where 14-year-old Tyre Sampson fell to his death from the FreeFall Drop Tower Ride last March. https://t.co/7wu08r9Fx8 pic.twitter.com/pLvjvWXZJS
— Billy Corben (@BillyCorben) January 1, 2023
One Twitter user thanked the firefighters of Orange County Fire and Rescue for their heroic work. “It’s a good thing that Orange County Fire and Rescue regularly train on the Orlando Eye/The Wheel at ICON Park,” they Tweeted. “Getting people safely off a giant ferris wheel is very challenging even under ideal conditions. I believe this is the second time everyone had to be rescued off of it.”
It's a good thing that Orange County Fire and Rescue regularly train on the Orlando Eye/The Wheel at ICON Park.
Getting people safely off a giant ferris wheel is very challenging even under ideal conditions.
I believe this is the second time everyone had to be rescued off of it. pic.twitter.com/eORvdEP0No— John Birchman 🏳️🌈 🇺🇲🇺🇦♥️ 😷 (@johnbirchman) January 1, 2023
And finally, Orange County Fire and Rescue Tweeted themselves, reassuring the public that everyone is safe and has been rescued.
“Final Update: More than 60 people have been safely rescued from more than 20 pods. All pods are now empty and units have cleared @iconparkorlando,” they Tweeted. “All rescue climbers on duty responded to the scene, with additional off duty rescue climbers also responding to assist if needed.”
Final Update: More than 60 people have been safely rescued from more than 20 pods. All pods are now empty and units have cleared @iconparkorlando. All rescue climbers on duty responded to the scene, with additional off duty rescue climbers also responding to assist if needed. https://t.co/1Bz7jrI1jV pic.twitter.com/PIXDD2pPLg
— OCFire Rescue (@OCFireRescue) January 1, 2023
This is the second incident to have happened at Orlando’s ICON Park within one year. In March of 2022, 14-year-old Tyre Sampson tragically fell to his death from riding the 430-foot-tall Orlando Free Fall attraction. This is a different attraction than the Ferris Wheel that was evacuated on New Year’s Eve.
